Barton ran for the Toronto mayor's seat in 1922. A fictitious scandal robbed him of what was polled to be a landslide victory. It's a real shame because he championed progressive ideas like the importance of open space (parks), the preservation of historic landmarks and the benefits to running an efficient public transit system. He envisioned Toronto to be an economic success, and desired to put our city on the map. Later in life, Barton tirelessly lobbied the government to abandon oil and gas as a fuel source and promoted early bio fuels and electric energy.
His early years as the son of a grocer taught him who people are, what's important to them and how they spend their money. His charisma, ability to listen, and quick wit made him a municipal leader, but his rise to national politics was prevented due to his leftist platform. Looking to the characters in our current governments, we lament that they broke the mold with James Barton.
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